Knitting machine



Dec. 25, 1951 Q GRANT 2,580,089

n KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 5, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET l FIG. l.

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Fm '""Il U ATTORNEYS Dec. 25, 1951 Original Filed Sept. 3,v 1948 H. c. GRANT 2,580,089

KNITTING MACHINE 2 SHElETS-SI-IEET 2 FIG. 6..l

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ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 25, y'1951 A TENT OFFICE KNITTING MACHINE Horace C. Grant, Atlanta, Ga., assigner to Egan Cotton Mills, Inc., Atlanta, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Original application September 3, 1948, SerialNo. 47,676, now Patent No. 2,551,118, dated May 1, 1951. Divided and this applicationNovember 16, 1949, Serial No. 127,608

( Cl. Gti- 85) 2 Claims. 1

Patent No. 1,816,416 to Baynard Willingham describes a knitting machine producing a continuous fabric by knitting together successive transverse plies of cotton roving. The product of that machine when out into lengths has come into extensive use in pads for the rollers of iron ing machines, the product of the Willingham machine being cut into widths capable of wrapping snugly around the roller. It will be understood that when so cut and wound, the plies run circumferentially around the rollers. It has been the practice, for the purpose of aiding in this wrapping of the rollers, to sew or knit on one edge of the fabric produced in the machine as formed therein a strip of rm woven fabric, such as canvas, which, when the fabric is cut into lengths, may be first laid around the rollers to aid in anchoring the fabric. This is termed the lead cloth. For best results in uniting the plies, the distance between the knitting needles should be relatively close together, producing longitudinal rows of stitches, distant from each other of say, 1A", and rthis has been the practice. It has been noticed, however, that in such pads they do not lie snugly on the roller. I have discovered that this can be obviated by increasing the distance between the rows of stitches fastening the lead cloth to the knitted fabric and making that distance greater than the distance between the stitches in the rest of the fabric. machine by which a knitted fabric constituted by successive plies of roving and having a lead cloth attached thereto by stitches separated by a distance greater than the distance separating the stitches on the rest of the fabric may be produced.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which corresponding parts are designated by corresponding marks of reference,

Figure 1 is a section through a roller having the pad produced on my improved machine wound thereon.

` Figure 2 is a front view of the pad produced by my machine.

Figure 3 is a rear view thereof.

Figure 4 is an enlarged View of a longitudinal section of a fabric as produced in my improved machine.

Figure 5 is a vertical fore and aft section of the knitting mechanism taken on lines X5X5 of Figure 6 of such machine, and

Figure 6 is a front elevation of such knitting mechanism.

As shown in Figure 1 and in Figure 4, the main fabric consists of successive plies of roving a tied My invention consists of a 2 together and to a burlap backing b by a plurality of rows of stitches a4, a5 extending from one face of the plies to the other. A one edge side is backed with a ribbon of canvas 54a, or other firm woven fabric, termed the lead cloth extending beyond the edges of the fabric while the balance of the width is backed only with the burlap, the

sewing being accomplished as the successive plies are assembled.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the rows of stitches a5 which tie the plies together and also fasten the canvas to the main fabric are farther apart than the rows of stitches a4 fastening merely the burlap to the main fabric. Thus at the edge we have stitches a5 fastening the plies together and securing the canvas, and stitches a4 merely secure the plies together and to the burlap, the rows alternating. The Width of the knitted fabric is that proper, after suitable trimming of its edges, to wrap snugly around the ironing roller p and for this purpose it may be cut into lengths proper for the lengths of the roller to which it is to be applied. The canvas lead cloth serves to make the initial wrap around the roller as shown in Figure 1.

To produce the article or pad such as just described I modify the structure shown in the Willingham patent by suppressing the alternate `front knitting needles 5 Yat one side of the machine and by feeding a ribbon of canvas in back of the rovings at such side and restricting the Width of the burlap b so that except for a slight overlap with the canvas it covers only the rest of the knitted fabric. This is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 in which the walls 2 form the ply guide for the plies of roving a fed thereto. A strip of burlap b is fed down the guide against the rear walls thereof, it being supplied thereto from a roller 53a mounted on the shaft 53. Against the front and rear walls of the guide verticaly reciprocate front and rear needles 5 and E projecting upwardly from the needle bars 4 and 3 which are alternately raised and lowered. Above the guide are mounted the thread guides i6, the mounting being such that such thread guide swings back and forth and is shifted laterally for each loop formed in the thread in the process of forming the stitches.

All of the above is as described in the said Willingham patent, but in addition to what is there shown I provide a shaft 54 carrying a roll of canvas 5ta or other rmly woven fabric which is lead down the guide between the burlap and the rear wall, the overlap being that desired.

When such a machine is operated a fabric will be formed consisting of successive plies of roving united together and to the backing structures (i, e., the canvas and the burlap) by stitches formed in the thread as delivered by the thread guides and ,as looped byethe front.` andback neef dles, thus Acrea-ting azstitch both .,fr'ont andrear of the resultant fabric.

I further modify the structure shown in thef said patent by suppressing or omitting alternate rear needles at that end of the guide frame cor-^v`r responding to that down Whichpthe. canvasis fed.

Under these circumstances,awhile-the, stitchesa5 extend through the plies and canvas, certain of the stitches a4; i. e., those in which the front needles are absent, have rnerelygloopszat theffront.

side of the knitted fabric the` threads 'thereofnot extending through the leadcl'oth. This I`ndtends to produce a smooth wrap around the ironing roller.

The present application. is a division of my prior application zSer. '.,Nmp 41,676; ledx.September;-;3,`

PidQv f Havings-thus described `-my -invention, r what I claim 'is 1;. Inamachine forthe manufacture lof a 'knit fabric consistingfof successive; pliespzof fibrous roving and an i edging.V `of: ;"vv,ov en fabric united thereto by knitting, the combination-sof a ply guide;H knitting niechanisirr,V comprisingaaplurality of sets of needles in front and in the rear of the ply guide, other needles in the rear of the ply guide Without mating needles in front, and means "of: additional rear-needles interposed between the aforesaid sets q-of fneedles adjacent to one end of the guide, and,means for feeding thread to the said needles.

HORACE C. GRANT.

REFERENCES ,CITED The :followingreferences. anefofgrecord -inznthe.-

le :of :this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS" Number Name Date. 229,487 Townsend June.29,18.805' 539,558 Surnner May 21,1895-J 1,8l6,4l6 lllillingham Ju1y.28,. 19.31,y 

